1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 678 Germs and Guns

On August 8, Weiyuan (now Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea).

A merchant ship "Tuna" under the Dutch East India Company slowly entered the port, and under the leadership of the guiding ship, it docked steadily at the berth on the north side of the pier.

After paying the entry fee equivalent to about 10 Hanzhou silver dollars, Captain Cones Odennell led several officers on board to leave the pier and walked towards Weiyuan City hundreds of meters away.

The "Tuna" pulled a boatload of cotton and wheat from India a month ago, passed through Batavia, Jianye City, and finally arrived at Weihai City (now Cairns, Australia) in the northeast of Hanzhou, where it was loaded. Filled with cotton cloth, whale oil, sugar, and some daily necessities, they came to Hanzhou, the most important overseas territorial town.

Weiyuan City has been established for 14 years, and the population of the entire urban area has also expanded to more than 8000, making it the most populous town in Qi State's overseas territories.If the dozens of surrounding villages, towns and villages are included, the population of Weiyuan area exceeds [-] (excluding local aborigines), accounting for nearly [-]% of the population of the entire Weiyuan area.

Here is the second largest shipyard in Qi State. Using the rich forest resources here, it can build a large number of various merchant ships below [-] tons for the country.

In addition, Weiyuan is also the most important grain production base in China. It is located on a long and narrow plain between the bay and the foot of the mountain. There are countless farms and plantations, and more than 1 mu of cultivated land have been reclaimed. The many good fields opened up in the valley can provide more than [-] tons of grain for the local people every year.

The average altitude of Weiyuan is 200 meters. Although it is located on the coast, the climate is relatively dry, and it generally experiences two seasons of drought and rain every year. From May to November, the southeast wind is continuous, the rainfall is less, and the climate is cool.From December to April of the following year, affected by the monsoon, the northwest wind often blows, and it is hot and rainy. The temperature during the day can reach as high as 5-11°C.Restricted by the above-mentioned natural and geographical factors, there are relatively few trees near Weiyuan, but the rolling hills and grasslands are vast and lush with plants, suitable for grazing.

"I found that whether Hanzhou is their homeland or overseas territory, almost all the trees around the towns and settlements have been cut down." Captain Cones Odennell blocked the scorching sun with his hands as he walked. Sun, "This makes the whole city lack the necessary tree embellishment, and it looks so boring."

"Indeed." Lieutenant Rachel Rolle, the first mate, nodded, "However, in this way, the mosquitoes in the city seem to be much less. Unlike Batavia, whether it is on the street or in the house, There are mosquitoes everywhere, which makes people feel extremely irritated. I think that the Hanzhou people may do this to reduce the breeding of mosquitoes and make all citizens live more comfortably."

"I have to admit that Hanzhou has indeed spent a lot of thought to protect the life and health of their domestic people." Captain Cornes Odennell said with a smile: "Their king must have won the enthusiasm of the people because of this. My dear, they not only live in a good environment, but also seem to be doing well. I bet that the living standard of the Hanzhou people is definitely not lower than that of our United Provinces, maybe better than the farmers in France. I heard , Their population has also exceeded 50, which is really an astonishing number."

One of the most important aspects of life, population patterns, was woefully underunderstood in the 16th and 17th centuries, and is likely to continue to be so.During this period, no country or government was able to conduct a comprehensive census of its people.Although the clergy in European countries kept records of baptisms, marriages, births and deaths in the diocese, and tax collectors made irregular counts of households, such statistical data not only lacked stability and accuracy, but were also difficult to grasp.

On the other hand, in Qi State, the regime extends from the cabinet to the countryside, and even the villages can carry out effective and strict governance.From the moment each immigrant arrives in the mainland of Hanzhou or overseas territories, grassroots government officials and scribes will register the basic information of each immigrant.In the future, whether it is marriage, childbirth, or even death, every immigration information will be counted and changed at the end of the year, and reported to the county, government, and cabinet government one by one.

For the Qi government, every increase in population means growth in national power.Being on the strange continent in the south, whether it is the government or an individual, they all hope to have more people of the same kind around them.Continuous immigration and continuous population increase seem to have become the consensus of Qi.

In addition to a large number of immigrants, Qi State is also trying its best to improve and improve the living environment of various settlements and reduce the death rate of immigrants.For tropical areas like the Weiyuan General Administration District, in addition to the continuous use of natives to carry out early treatment and transformation, extremely strict management regulations were formulated for the residents' environmental and hygiene requirements in the later stage.

In each residential area, all trees and grass within a radius of hundreds of meters have been cleared, and swamps, ditches, and weir ponds have all been filled up to reduce the breeding of a large number of mosquitoes in the surrounding environment and avoid the possible occurrence of infectious diseases such as malaria and dysentery. .At the same time, regarding the personal hygiene conditions of the immigrants, local officials and clerks are also constantly advocating and popularizing science, so that individuals must develop better hygiene habits.

It can be said that after more than ten years of subtle influence, the Qi people living in Hanzhou and overseas territories were not the group with the highest living standard during this period, but they were definitely the most clean people in the world.

In the 17th century, whether it was in the ancient East or Europe that had just ended the war, the sanitary conditions in many countries and regions were extremely poor.Poor personal hygiene practices and a leaky public health system leave the door open for the spread of disease.Europeans at that time seldom took a bath, and the domestic water was often polluted; the houses were extremely crowded and the ventilation was extremely poor; their clothes were the same, neither washed nor changed frequently.

What's worse is that the disposal of garbage is completely messy, which not only makes the streets and alleys full of stench, but also directly threatens the health of urban and rural residents.The state of medical technology is also very backward. Some wealthy people never go to the hospital, and those who go to the hospital for treatment often contract new diseases. The world often calls hospitals "demons created by angels."

However, the gradual establishment of hospitals covering important cities and towns in Qi State is a completely different situation. It can be said that they are close to the embryonic form of modern hospitals. It also has the most advanced treatment methods in the world today for various typical infectious diseases and slightly complicated surgical operations.

The Dutch East India Company, while envious of the ultra-low death rate in the tropical areas of Qiguo, also devoted more energy to research and discussion.Although they don't know the reason behind it, it doesn't affect them imitating the practice of the Hanzhou people and starting to manage the health of the colonial strongholds under their jurisdiction.

The weirs and ponds in Batavia used to be everywhere, and many of the river ditches dug everywhere have been filled, and the streets and alleys full of garbage and smelly smell have gradually become a little bit cleaner and tidy, although they cannot be built together. Yecheng wants to compare, but the whole environment has undergone earth-shaking changes compared to a few years ago.In order to maintain the clean environment of the city of Batavia, the Dutch expelled more Javanese natives from the inner city, ordered all these natives to live in associations outside the city, and prohibited them from entering the city.

"Captain, the Hanzhou people seized our merchant ship and forbade everyone from disembarking and landing." Captain Cones Odennell and a group of people were dining in a restaurant when suddenly an officer on duty on board ran away in a hurry To tell him a very unexpected news.

"Why?" Captain Cones Odennell was astonished. The goods on board were all products from Hanzhou, and there were no prohibited items. Why was it detained by Hanzhou people?

"They said..." The officer had just started to speak, when suddenly, more than a dozen military policemen and patrolmen rushed in from outside the hotel, all of them had short knives at their waists, muskets in their hands, and a white cloth covering their faces .

"Everyone, the port personnel at the port found a patient with a severe infectious disease on your ship. I have been ordered by the superior to conduct centralized isolation and observation of all your personnel and people who have had close contact with us." A military police officer said loudly .

"Ah..." Captain Cornes Odennell and the others immediately changed their expressions. There were patients with severe infectious diseases on board, which meant that all of them might also have infectious diseases.Looking at the Hanzhou people fighting like this, it shows that the situation is very serious.

"Will we get a good cure?... You Hanzhou people must have a solution to this infectious disease, right?" A Dutch officer asked with a bitter face, with a hint of hope on his face.

"During your centralized isolation period, we will send someone to notify your business representatives stationed in the city." The gendarmerie officer did not answer the Dutchman's question, and waved his hand to order the gendarmerie and patrol police to take everyone away from the hotel. If you need anything, you may wish to convey it through your business representative at that time. During the isolation observation period, we will provide you with the necessary food until the isolation is lifted. I hope you will cooperate during this period."

"Sir, what kind of infectious disease is it supposed to be?" The patrol captain asked softly as he escorted a group of desolate patients suspected of infectious diseases towards the isolation camp outside the city.

"People from the Department of Health suspect smallpox." The gendarmerie officer said in a low voice through a face towel.

"Smallpox?" The patrol captain was stunned for a moment, "Then the people on this Dutch merchant ship are going to die!"

"That's not necessarily the case. Maybe someone with a tough fate will get through it." The military police officer said, "However, his face will be ruined."

There are different types of smallpox virus, which can cause different degrees of infection in humans.Most smallpox patients will recover, and death usually occurs within 1 to 2 weeks after onset, with a mortality rate of about 30%.

Since more than ten years ago, under the guidance of Qi Tian, ​​the people of Hanzhou began to vaccinate one after another, and then gradually expanded to every immigrant who entered the country.Today, outbreaks of smallpox virus have largely been eliminated in mainland Hanzhou and several overseas territories.Therefore, when carrying out the escort of these suspected smallpox-infected patients to the isolation point outside the city, the military police and patrol police did not show much panic. Instead, they looked at the mournful-looking Dutch with sympathy.
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On August 8, Taru Island.

Two galleys of more than [-] tons were docked at a distance of more than [-] meters from the island. An officer in black was holding binoculars in both hands, carefully observing the situation on the shore.

A group of aborigines with grass skirts around their waists and bare upper body, holding wooden spears in their hands, and screaming strangely, demonstrated towards the two galleys moored on the sea, as if warning the Hanzhou people not to Log in easily.

This small island was discovered by Qi people a few months ago.At that time, a transport ship encountered a storm nearby and wanted to prepare to dock here and wait for the storm to pass.But unexpectedly, the natives on the island took the opportunity to attack the transport ship, killing and injuring more than ten crew members, causing the ship to flee to the coast of the opposite mainland in embarrassment.

Afterwards, the ship returned to Weiyuan and immediately reported the situation to the local government and the military, hoping to dispatch armed local soldiers and marines to "wash" the island and avenge the dead crew members. Completely occupy the island and add a supply point for the route to and from the west of Weiyuan.

Just when the Weiyuan local government was about to mobilize the township soldiers to launch a cross-sea expedition to kill the natives on this island, it was stopped by several officers stationed in Weiyuan in black.They didn't want to stop the local government's military action, but proposed that the action should be taken by their black guards and the local gendarmerie.

Knowing that the Black Guards and the Gendarmerie were going to deal with that small island, the Weiyuan local government was astonished. Could it be that these two organizations, similar to the Daming Factory Guards Organization, were too idle in Weiyuan and wanted to play a game of massacring the aborigines? "Military parade" activities?
Fighting in battle and armed strikes are naturally not the activities that the black-clothed guards and gendarmerie are good at.But after all, these two organizations are violent organizations belonging to the Qi State. In addition to spying on intelligence, catching and killing spies, and engaging in assassination and sabotage activities, they are constantly developing new "businesses".

For this small island that needs revenge, the black guards and gendarmerie stationed in Weiyuan are going to try poisoning to verify the lethality and destructiveness of the infectious virus to the enemy.

More than ten days ago, a smallpox virus broke out on a Dutch-flagged merchant ship when it sailed into Weiyuan Port.After more than half a month of compulsory isolation and treatment, 26 people died.After completely eradicating the virus, the Dutch left Weiyuan City with lingering fear and returned to Batavia.

The clothing and supplies left by the Dutch, under the intervention of the black guards, were not immediately burned and buried, but were temporarily sealed in a closed stone house.As the guards in black and the military police were preparing to launch the virus release, the clothes contaminated with the smallpox virus were quietly brought to the boat, and then sailed all the way to the small island.

"Drive them off the ship!" Ji Boda, the commander of the black guards stationed in Weiyuan, ordered coldly.

Seven or eight aborigines were untied from their ropes, kicked into the sea one by one, and then let them swim desperately to the shore.These specially conscripted natives were fully dressed, including clothes, trousers, shoes and socks, and even the unique boat-shaped caps of Dutch officers and sailors on their heads.

When they struggled to get ashore, several people were killed on the beach by the natives on the island, and the rest were all knocked to the ground.After watching the two galleys of the Qi State leave slowly, the natives who were on guard on the shore relaxed a little bit, waved the wooden spears in their hands, and cheered loudly, congratulating them for repelling the enemies at sea once again.

Some impatient natives happily peeled off the captives' clothes on the ground, and couldn't wait to replace the grass skirts and bark on their bodies.These enemies from the sea shamelessly gave up their slaves, at the expense of the brave warriors of the island.

"I don't know how many aborigines on the island can survive the spread and ravages of the virus." Ji Boda looked at the small island that was gradually receding, and murmured.

"If there are no accidents, it is estimated that there will not be many people left in the end." The Captain of the Weiyuan City Gendarmerie curled his lips and said: "Although the method of the black guards kills people invisible, it is a bit sinister."

"It's all about killing people, so what's the difference between being noble and shameful." Ji Boda said indifferently: "Who knows if we will use this method when wars break out in our country in the future."

(End of this chapter)